Lighthouse Mews

Stephen Donald Architect (SDA) had secured planning permission for four residential units on land owned by the client – a construction company of long-standing who had decided to transform the land from a builders’s yard into sustainable residential homes. The finished project features three 2 bedroom homes and one 3 bedroom home, all of which have an inverted design with bedrooms on the ground floor and living spaces on the first floor. Each property has its own outside space and first-floor balcony. A main feature of the modern dwellings is the modified timber cladding.

The design dictated clean straight lines, which called for a stable cladding material that would remain straight over the long term. Being in a city centre location, it was also important that the cladding did not become patchy or blacken, a common problem with more reactive species such as cedar when left untreated. 

The design team was keen on sourcing materials locally where possible. The cladding made from british modified ash was chosen to give the houses a different look to the more conventional cladding materials available and also for its resilience and inherent stability which reduces ongoing maintenance costs. It weathers well, even in shaded and potentially polluted city centre environments. Andrew Wong from Modernarc confirms: "A year on from installation the cladding looks really good, It has weathered to a nice silver colour, which we expected, and looks very handsome."